THE ROLE OF THE VICE-PRESIDENTS

The biennial elections for the three Vice-Presidents of the IWSF take place normally at the ordinary Congress in odd years. As the first elections will be held at the extraordinary Congress in September 2002 the Vice-Presidents will be elected exceptionally for a three year term to allow the statutory biennial elections from 2005 onward.

We think it is necessary and valuable for candidates to have a description of their role and the responsibilities, time commitment and workload which accompany them. This are estimates and it might change through the experience of the next 3 years.

Operational Structure

The President, Secretary General, Treasurer and the three Vice-Presidents form the Bureau and are responsible for the day to day business, the negations for and the supervision of Titled events, the contact with the Council chairmen, the contact with the National Federations, the promotion for new members and the relations with the IOC.

Communications

Communication will vary, depending on the topics needing attention, but the usual is expected to be two or three times per week by email and if necessary by phone or fax. The communication is structured to ensure that all Bureau members have a general knowledge of the overall activities of the IWSF, its Regions and its National Federations. The IWSF office in Bologna will provide necessary secretarial support to the Bureau members when required.

Time Commitment

The Vice-Presidents of the IWSF are working roles and make significant demands on time and resources. The Vice-Presidents may be accompanying the President in Olympic matters, attending conferences or meetings, attending World Championships or other sporting events on behalf of the IWSF. Routine communication averages five to six hours per week.

Independence

The mission of the IWSF is to work for all of its Members on an equal and impartial basis. To achieve this impartiality, the Congress has decided that the Vice-Presidents cannot be the President or the Secretary General of a Region, as it was felt there was a conflict of interest if they continued to think in Regional terms when addressing International issues. This principle allows the Vice-Presidents to act in the best interests of the IWSF and all Member Nations without a bias towards their Region.

Finance

In theory, the IWSF will provide reimbursement for the communication costs incurred by the Vice-Presidents, but in practice many will be able to utilise their own private or business resources for communication and take no payment from the IWSF. The Vice-President will need secretarial and computer equipment support to carry out their task so far these have been acquired and operated without financial assistance from the IWSF. There is no doubt that the Vice-Presidents will give significant indirect financial support to the IWSF through their businesses or private resources. It is hoped that the IWSF will not be required to compensate them fully for all expenditure.

Summary

The roles of Vice-Presidents of the IWSF involve significant commitment in time, energy and finance and are 'hands-on' roles, and not the honorary positions which are sometimes the norm in other governing bodies. There is, however, support from the IWSF Office in Bologna for all routine activity. The Vice-Presidents of the IWSF find themselves deeply involved in the sport which they love and derive significant satisfaction from making invaluable contributions to the growth, health and welfare of Waterskiing and Wakeboarding.